OPEN to...
See Brittany use her gifts
...Belonging?
“During our six-day drive across the country, moving from San Francisco to Saint Louis, my husband and I made a commitment to continue to grow our faith together as a couple, and we decided to look for a church where we could feel accepted for who we are. When we walked into The Gathering, we immediately felt so welcomed. The sermon seemed to be sending a message directly to us. During this first visit, I remember meeting one of the pastors who asked me about ME. I shared my background as a Christian singer in Brazil, and she told me that she was a missionary in Mozambique, where the primary language is Portuguese. Immediately we started speaking in Portuguese -- another signal that I was welcome as I am! The people and the Pastors made me feel as if I had been a part of their church family for a long time. From that point forward, we have not looked back and The Gathering remains our church. Pastor Matt Miofsky performed our wedding and a few days later he introduced me to Ryan Hebel, sharing my passion for singing. The Gathering has given me the opportunity to connect with music again while serving God and my church. Since that time, my soul feels so grateful and confident. Even when I feel limited, singing fills me as I deliver the message of God through my gift. Because of The Gathering, I know that God loves me exactly how I am. I love having The Gathering as my family in God.” -- Sergio Marques
...Becoming?
“In January of 2020, I relocated from Mississippi to St. Louis to start over after a traumatic divorce and being laid off from Mississippi State University. In the days and weeks following my move I had a series of injuries and illnesses that plagued me for more than a year. During this time, I cried out to God, asking why I was placed in St. Louis? With the answer still unclear, on April 1, 2021, I started this radical thing. I began jumping rope and uploading the videos to social media as a form of accountability. Initially, I could barely do 25 jumps because COVID wreaked havoc on my body, but over time I got better and made it to approximately 550 jumps a day! People commented on my posts that I was challenging them to GET UP. Connections Pastor Dave Merrill reached out to me and said, “I see you jumping and it is inspiring. I think you have gifts that can be used in online worship!” Little did he know that in March when I was battling COVID, I had written a journal entry asking God to show me a new way to serve at The Gathering that would help me find my voice and discern if I should pursue a career in ministry. Initially, I was shocked, nervous, and baffled that someone I had never met saw me and my potential because I felt like I didn’ have much to offer. However, serving as a host has restored my confidence, taught me to own my voice, and provided a community in which I feel I belong. I sense God doing a new thing in my life, shaping me as I BECOME a woman in ministry to others. I offer you a word of encouragement - be open to trying something different, even if it makes you feel uncomfortable. Who knows where it will lead!” -- Brittany Radford
...Believing?
“A little over fifteen years ago a pastor named Matt Miofsky shared with me a vision for a new church that would reach new generations of people in St. Louis. As I listened to this vision, I knew it was something that I wanted to be a part of. The church didn’t even have a name yet, but I believed in the vision so much that at the end of our conversation I decided to make a financial gift to help get it started. I couldn’t have imagined at the time the impact that gift would have, not only on others, but on me and my faith. It’s been exciting to see that gift multiply over and over, thousands of times. The blessings that I have seen take place through The Gathering, and in my own life, are overwhelming to think about. When I made that initial decision to support The Gathering, I didn’t realize at the time God was using that decision to transform me. I thought I was just helping a young pastor I believed in. But saying yes to that moment of generosity opened up a doorway to a new journey in my life. I learned the truth of the verse that says, “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be.” Because of The Gathering, my relationship with God has deepened in ways I could never have imagined. God has taken me on quite a journey over the last fifteen years that has included trips to Mozambique, helping launch new sites of The Gathering, and now worshiping online from my new home in Philadelphia. I am grateful for The Gathering and for the ways God used a simple act of generosity as a vehicle for doing new and significant things in my life.” -- Mark Miller